1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a piccolo flute, in particular a piccolo transverse flute in the "orchestra Boehm flutes" family. The flute has a head with a mouth or embouchure hole, a closure cap with an adjustable seal on its free frontal side, and a body part with finger holes and a key mechanism. The terminal finger hole is located at the free frontal end.
2. Description of Related Art
Piccolo flutes obtain their absolute tuning based on a pitch one octave higher than the concert pitch a'. This is effected by varying the distance between the head part and the body part, where the head part is extracted from or inserted in the body part. Relative tuning is based on the absolute tuning, on a particular concert pitch a', and may only be used for the corresponding absolute tuning. Relative tuning is obtained by the distances of the finger holes and their combinations or hole setting scheme with a tolerance of +/-2 Hz.
The concert pitch is not defined uniformly in all countries. For this reason, different piccolo flutes are built.
There are two fundamental structural types of piccolo flutes; those with a closed G sharp key and those with an open G sharp key.
In both configurations the finger holes for the C tone are double holes located in succession in the axial direction of the body. These two finger holes are actuated by the thumb of the left hand by a key mechanism. The piccolo flute or piccolo transverse flute is played laterally and is therefore held transversely. For these reasons, the two C finger holes are located outside the row in which the majority of the finger holes is placed.
An angle .beta. between the axis of the row of finger holes in which most of the finger holes are located and the center axis of the two C finger holes is approximately 157.degree..
Parallel location of the axis of the C finger hole mechanism is especially important for uniform opening and closing of the two finger holes, but involves a great disadvantage. The angle of approximately 157.degree. cannot be reduced and therefore condensate water easily finds an outlet through the two C finger holes and thereby interferes considerably with the acoustics of the instrument.
Ongoing experimentation and often decades of work by instrument makers has not resulted in improvements in the hole setting scheme to eliminate difficulties concerning their relative tuning. No ideal hole setting scheme with a desirable equalization of pitches over the entire pitch range of the instrument together with a ready response of the instrument has been found. In particular, the transition from one octave (register) to the other, especially in the difficult third octave, has not been obtained.
Numerous experiments were undertaken in the course of the last century to eliminate these shortcomings by means of theoretical calculations directed at producing an ideal hole setting scheme. It has not been possible, however, to arrive at piccolo flute configurations satisfactory in all of its aspects. In particular, it is noted in the case of known piccolo flutes that the octave between D1 and D2 is to broad and C sharp 1, C sharp 2, D3 (the third octave), F sharp 3 (G flat 3), G sharp 3 (A flat 3) and A sharp 3 (B flat 3) tend to a low tone or frequency, while the pitches F sharp 3 (G flat 3), G sharp 3 (A flat 3), A sharp 3 (B flat 3) and B flat 3 respond difficultly, in particular in the G sharp 3 (A flat 3) produced by the double C hole.
A special key mechanism is known to obtain an easier G sharp 3 response, but is has the disadvantage of higher cost and increased vulnerability of the instrument to mechanical failure.
The above-mentioned difficulties in known piccolo flutes, as they relate to tuning and pitch response, force flutists to engage in extremely time consuming practice. They must acquire a familiarity with the instrument enabling them to master an appropriate modification of the blowing process for the corrections required to obtain the purest possible pitch with the proper dynamics.